Lands of Tamriel, an Epic Fantasy

That which is beyond.

Oblivion

Oblivion (also called The Void of Oblivion, the Planes of Oblivion, and Wastes of Oblivion), is a collective term used to describe one subset of the planes of existence. The planes of Oblivion are those that have the least connection with the mortal plane, Nirn.

The planes that make up Oblivion are defined primarily by exclusion. Any plane which is not Nirn itself, not one of the planets or moons, and not Aetherius itself, is generally considered to be an Oblivion plane. It is commonly believed that there are an infinite number of such planes, though Tamrielic scholars are aware of only a small handful. In particular, it is believed that each of the sixteen Daedric Princes rules over his own plane, which is formed into an image of his choosing.

Rulers and inhabitants

The rest of the divine planes, which exist outside of the eight planets but still within Aetherius itself, are the planes of Oblivion. These planes have no real connection to the mortal world, and the normal rules of physics do not apply. Scholars assume that only a very few out of a nearly infinite number of such planes are known to mortals, and those that are known share only a few common features. Almost all known planes of Oblivion are ruled over by one of the Daedric Lords, and the plane takes a form reflective of its lord’s personality. The native inhabitants of these planes are collectively referred to as Daedra, and are not mortal in the traditional sense. If they are killed, especially on the mortal plane, their innate spark of life, what is sometimes called their "soul ", returns to a new physical body. However, there is a portion of the universe, the true Void, which is outside of any of the planes of existence; when a sufficiently powerful being manages to kill a Daedra in their native plane, their "soul " is lost to the void forever…

Interactions with Nirn

Unlike the planes of the Aedra, mortals cannot see or detect the existence of the Oblivion planes. Instead, the mortal brain interprets Oblivion as the vast black nothingness of space, literally seeing it as an empty void. The only real indication that Oblivion exists are the sun and stars. These are actually holes of various sizes that were punched through Oblivion at the forming of Nirn, by those Aedra which managed to escape before their divinity was compromised. These holes reach all the way from Nirn , through Oblivion, to Aetherius, and permit the magic of that outer realm to reach Nirn.

Physics

Generally speaking, each plane of Oblivion is a unique, distinct world, with its own natural laws and native inhabitants. They range from the violent and inhospitable Deadlands, to the paradise-like Moonshadow. Not all of these planes take a form that even permits the existence of mortals, though most of those known to Tamriel’s scholars have been visited at least once. In addition to those known to be ruled by a Daedric Prince, the powerful college of Imperial Battlemages has made contact with a number of other realms, and built their training grounds (the Battlespire) in several of these.

Planes of the Daedra Lords

Several planes are described in The Doors of Oblivion. These are:

Azura’s Moonshadow

Moonshadow is described as an impossibly beautiful, amazing world made up of impossible shades of colors, and perpetual twilight. This realm is believed to be permanently sealed off from mortals, but those who ventured there in the past usually went half-blind or half-mad from the unnatural beauty.

Boethiah’s Snake Mount or Attribution’s Share

Boethiah’s plane is made up of vast mazes, gardens and labyrinths, and the architecture has a very twisted and sinister appearance. Betrayal and deception are a matter of natural law in this realm. His recent bloody tournament in Oblivion may have been in Mehrunes Dagon’s Deadlands, as it looked basically the same according to the winner.

Clavicus Vile’s Realm

The true name of this realm is not known, but it is one of the most tranquil and peaceful of the Oblivion realms, resembling a rustic countryside.

Hermaeus Mora’s Apocrypha

This is the central repository for all knowledge in the entire universe, and is said to resemble an infinite library. Its books are all identical, having black covers and no titles, but there is one of every book ever written, and includes knowledge normally forbidden to humans. Mortals who wander here usually die and remain behind as ghosts, still seeking knowledge.

Hircine’s Hunting Grounds

This plane consists of a vast expanse of islands, inhabited by the various daedra, or by vast forests, plains, grasslands and puzzling mazes. Hircine’s plane has a higher than normal population of atronachs. And it is home to were-beasts and creatures much larger than those of Tamriel. The most popular hunted prey are those unlucky mortals who find themselves here accidentally. Mortal souls who have been blessed with Lycanthropy are sent here.

Malacath’s Ashpit

The Ashpit is a barren, barely-habitable wasteland. Of those realms accessible by mortals, this is considered the hardest to reach. According to comments made by the Daedra Prince Sheogorath, this plane has some sort of spine in it, due to his comment that the backbone of Malacath’s realm is an actual backbone.

Mehrunes Dagon’s Deadlands

The Deadlands represent as close to the mortal vision of Hell as any of the Oblivion planes. It is also possibly the best known of all Daedric realms to mortals on Nirn. During the failed invasion of Nirn by Dagon’s forces near the end of the Third Era, various Tamrielic forces, especially in Cyrodiil and Black Marsh, actually stormed the Deadlands and won victories there. Ash storms and vast seas of lava make up the majority of this realm, which is populated by the highly intelligent Dremora, as well as many semi- or non-intelligent beings. The beings include Storm Atronachs, Fire Atronachs, Clannfear, Scamps, Daedroth, Xivilai and Spider Daedra. It is from this realm that Dagon has attempted to launch his repeated invasions of Nirn. Jagged rocky formations divide the landscape into miniature valleys. People who fall into the cracks in these jagged rocks oftentimes can never escape.

Meridia’s Colored Rooms

Little is known about this realm, save that the Auroran are native to this plane. This is where Umaril’s spirit fled when Pelinal Whitestrake slew him.

Molag Bal’s Coldharbour

Molag Bal built his realm to resemble an apocalyptic Nirn , where familiar landmarks appear scorched and ruined. It has been described as what Nirn would look like, were it to undergo centuries of cataclysmic war. Mortals who make their way here usually end up in the slave pens or charnel houses.

Namira’s Scuttling Void

Little is known of Namira’s realm beyond its name, and that no known mortals have traveled there and returned.

Nocturnal’s Evergloam

Evergloam is the mysterious realm of Nocturnal, and seems to have some connection with the “luck” that thieves seem to enjoy. Little is known about Evergloam much like its Mistress . The only known location within the Evergloam is the Shade Perilous , Nocturnal’s fortress within her realm.
Shade Perilous is a location in the game Daggerfall.

Peryite’s Pits

This plane is considered to be one of the lowest orders of Oblivion, and is possibly more than one plane. The least of the lesser daedra make their homes here. Little is known of this plane, as it is completely inaccessible to mortals. The closest people have gotten to the Pits were a small band of his worshipers whose spirits were pulled into Oblivion in a botched attempt to summon him. However, it is likely that these spirits ended up in Mehrunes Dagon’s Deadlands, as the plane of Oblivion they were trapped on contained the same superheated red oceans, the same Daedric creatures, and the same dangerous, jagged black rocks. Opposing this hypothesis is the fact that the gate Peryite used to transport a hero to this plane was different in appearance compared to the large, fiery red cat-eye shaped permanent portals of Mehrunes Dagon. This may simply be because a different Daedra opened the gate, or because it was a short term gate.This gate was blue, rectangular. smallish and bordered with broken lengths of levitating stone or some other substance.

Sanguine’s Realms

Sanguine is said to be in control of tens of thousands of individual, unnamed realms housing all forms of pleasure and decadence.

Sheogorath’s Madhouse (Shivering Isles)

The Madhouse, like it’s master, has a split personality. One half of this realm appears cheery and lighthearted, but hides a deeper manic undercurrent. The other half is more obviously sinister, representing Sheogorath’s demented side. This is one of the few realms that has permanent mortal inhabitants. Each division is ruled by a duke or duchess. Main cities in the Shivering Isles include New Sheoth, Bliss, the Crucible, and Passwall.

Vaermina’s Quagmire

The Quagmire is the source of all nightmare and terror. Mortals on this realm describe scenes of impossible horror, which change every few minutes with a blinding flash of lightning into ever more horrifying visions. Mortals in the midst of a nightmare are frequently brushing against the edges of this realm.

Other planes of Oblivion

Chimera of Desolation

This realm, the last of the Oblivion realms in the Battlespire, was created by Mehrunes Dagon to punish a mortal conjurer.

Mankar Camoran’s Paradise

Mankar Camoran, using instructions left by Mehrunes Dagon , created his own personal plane of Oblivion, which appeared outwardly to be an idyllic garden realm, but hid a number of torture chambers and other forms of punishment in the underground areas. Here Camoran’s followers in life are given immortality in this afterlife…but they live only to be preyed on and tormented by Camoran and his Daedric allies.

Soul Cairn

This is an unaligned plane of Oblivion, also used as part of the Battlespire. It is inhabited primarily by the undead, including an odd race called the Gem Vampires which control the realm. Additionally, the lords of this realm of Oblivion are also called The Ideal Masters.

Relation to Tamriel

At one point during the Oblivion Crisis, the idea is put forth that Tamriel, Aldmeri for Starry Night, is itself a plane of Oblivion. This idea stems from a combination of intentional deception of the part of the speaker, and a basic misunderstanding of how the Elder Scrolls universe is defined. Nirn is the plane of existence that is tied to Lorkhan, much like the planets are those planes tied to the Nine Divines. Presumably, the other Aedra also have their own home planes, though we know little about them. It is true that Nirn is just another plane of existence, like the Oblivion planes. However, by definition, Oblivion excludes those planes tied to Aedra, which includes Nirn itself.

On the other hand, the related idea that Tamriel was somehow “stolen” from the Daedra Lords, by Lorkhan or its population, makes no sense. Tamriel exists only as a result of Lorkhan’s existence, and the mortal population was created specifically to live there.

Oblivion Barriers

For the most part, the planes of Oblivion are remote and distant, metaphysically, relative to Nirn. While it is physically possible for inhabitants of certain realms to travel to Nirn and for mortals to enter certain Oblivion planes, it is extremely difficult. In particular, the princes themselves are generally barred from entering Nirn, though they seem to have no problem crossing between Oblivion realms.

The most common means of crossing the boundary between Oblivion and Nirn is by conjuration magic. This allows a mage on Nirn to summon a daedra from one of the Oblivion planes, and bind it to his will, for some period of time. In some cases, the daedra arrives bodily on Nirn ; in other cases, the daedra’s essence is bound into a item, such as armor or weapon, for use by the conjurer. Rarely, a truly powerful magician can permanently bind a daedra to an enchanted item, but typically, the item vanishes once the daedra’s conjuration ends. Extremely powerful mages can also transport themselves to certain of the Oblivion planes; in addition, the Daedric Princes can, in some situations, bring a mortal to their realm. This works much the same as with summoning daedra to Nirn. If a mortal is transported bodily to an Oblivion plane, they can die just like they would on the mortal plane. If they are drawn into the realm magically, it usually involves their body remaining on Nirn , and their death is no more permanent than the death of a summoned daedra.

In the early centuries of Tamriel’s history, Daedric Princes commonly walked on Nirn. Certain Daedra Lords played pivotal roles in the development of the early races of man and mer. Near the beginning of the First Era , after the Ayleid slave wars were over, the Aedra made a pact with Alessia to prevent this from continuing. Since the Aedra’s planes sit between Oblivion and Nirn, they were able to erect barriers that kept the daedra away from Nirn, unless summoned by someone from the mortal side. After this, only a few very rare locations existed where mortals could travel to Oblivion, and the Daedra Lords were forced to communicate with their followers via their shrines, and never in person.

After the Oblivion Crisis however, the joined blood of Martin Septim and Akatosh strengthened the barriers, so now the dragonfires do not need to be lit to keep the barriers intact. Many believed that this would permanently sever Oblivion from Nirn as a shrine or a mortal summoning is required to commune with the daedra .

During the Fourth Era, 500 years after the Oblivion Crisis , the barriers are apparently weaker. Daedric princes and high end daedra are physically manifesting on Nirn. Some manage this through use of a portal of sorts like Nocturnal and the Ebonmere. Some high-end daedra such as Clavicus Vile’s dog Barbas are able to manifest and live on Nirn and even Sanguine himself manifested under a mortal guise.

Planet: Nirn

Nirn is largely known by otherworldly beings as Mundus, or the mortal plane. The exact reasons and specifics of Nirn’s creation are largely debated; however, all agree that the deity Lorkhan inspired, and played a large role in, the creation of the watery planet known as Nirn. Two moons, Secunda and Masser, orbit Nirn. Metaphorically, they represent Lorkhan’s sundered halves. Nirn orbits an unnamed sun, and is, so far, the only discovered planet in the solar system. The heavens beyond Nirn are star-filled. Astrology, a science of the planet’s intelligent organisms, has been used to graph and attach spiritual meaning to these celestial bodies.

Continent: Tamriel

Tamriel is the continent where the events of the game will take place. It is located on the planet of Nirn, which is the mortal realm of the finite and the partial, as opposed to the immortal realms of the infinite and the absolute. In The Elder Scrolls, Mundus, another name for Nirn, is the Elvish root for the human word “mundane”, meaning ordinary. Some believe that Tamriel is an extension of the realm Oblivion, although this could just be the ramblings of the Mythic Dawn. In terms of size, Tamriel is 12 million square miles and consists of 9 countries or provinces.
The name Tamriel is said to mean ‘Starry Heart’, while, according to Arena, it is also Elvish for ’Dawn’s Beauty’, however, in the Nu-Mantia Intercept Tamriel is ‘The Starry Heart of Dawn’s Beauty

Provinces of Tamriel

(up to and through the early 4th era)

Cyrodiil – This province lies in the center of Tamriel and is the home of a human race named Imperials. It is the center of their Empire, which controls all other provinces. Cyrodiil is also known as the Heartland.

Morrowind – The province in the northeast corner of Tamriel and home to the Dunmer. It consists of a continental mainland and a large island in the center called Vvardenfell, separated by an inlet from the Sea of Ghosts, The Inner Sea.

Skyrim – This northern, snow-covered, and mountainous region is home to the Nord human race and Falmer meri race (Snow Elves). Skyrim contains some of the tallest mountains in all of Tamriel, most notably the Throat of the World. Skyrim is less urbanized than Cyrodiil, but the 5 largest cities do have sizable population.

High Rock – Home to the Bretons and Orcs, this province is divided into multiple Breton city-states and minor kingdoms. It is a temperate coastal region in northwestern Tamriel.

Hammerfell – Lying in west Tamriel, this province is dominated by the Alik’r desert. Hammerfell is home to the Redguard human race. The northern region of Hammerfell is part of the setting for the game The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall.

Summerset Isle – This province is located in the Eltheric Ocean, with the Abecean Sea separating the islands from the mainland Tamriel continent. It is composed of two islands, one large western main island and one smaller, elongated eastern island. These islands are home to the Altmer (High Elves).

Valenwood – This densely forested, sub-tropical region forms the southwest coastal plain of Tamriel. Valenwood is home to the Bosmer (Wood Elves).

Elsweyr – Divided across arid badlands to the North and a more populous sub-tropical zone in the South, this region marks the southern coast of Tamriel. Elsweyr is home to the Khajiit.

Black Marsh – This huge and mostly unchartered region of densely vegetated wetlands is at the southeastern tip of Tamriel. Argonians thrive in the foreboding swamps and thick brush, thanks to their reptillian underwater breathing abilities and very high resistance to disease.

History

Recorded Tamrielic history is divided into four distinct eras: the First Era, the Second Era, the Third Era, and the Fourth Era.

First Era – The long First Era is mostly marked by the shifting of power from Elves to Men and the birth of some of the most powerful religions in the land. From the heartland of Tamriel, we learn of the struggling Human race: from their miserable fate as slaves to finally being able to push out their Elven masters from the land. From the northeast part of the continent, the Heart of Lorkhan tempts so many mortals, from the Dwemer to Chimer and eventually Nord Humans. The Divine Heart causes a terrible war, and the extinction of a once great race, the Dwemer.

Second Era – The Second Era starts after the Akaviri Potentate “Versidue Shaie” assassinates the last of the Cyrodiil line. This is also the era when some of the most powerful factions in Tamriel are born, the Mages’ Guild and the Dark Brotherhood being two from among the greatest to arise during this time period. The era finally ends after Tiber Septim, wielding a Dwemer artifact called Numidium, successfully unites the entire Tamrielic landmass once again.

Third Era – The Third Era, which some describe as the most glorious era thus far, is the time of the Septim Dynasty. In fact, the long line of Septim Emperors almost reaches an end at several points in the history of this period. Some of the significant events are the War of the Red Diamond, a civil war over the succession, and a long decade of reign by the traitorous Jagar Tharn. Furthermore, this era is marked by the rebirth of Nerevar Indoril, the greatest Chimeri general; as well as the rebirth of Numidium and the second Dragon Break that follows. The Oblivion Crisis also arose when the Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon, attempted to enter the mortal world in his “god-like” state. In the final days of the Third Era, the emperor, Uriel Septim VII is assassinated at the’ beginning of the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, along with all his heirs, save one illegitimate son, Martin. In the final fight for Septim’s life, the Blades were aided by an escaped prisoner. It was this escaped prisoner who rescued Martin from the siege of Kvatch, this prisoner who again and again stormed Oblivion, and this prisoner who recovered the Amulet of Kings. It was also this prisoner, called Champion of Cyrodiil, Hero of Kvatch, and Savior of Bruma, who witnessed Martin’s ultimate self-sacrifice to end the Oblivion Crisis, and with it, the Third Era. In addition to closing all of the Oblivion gates, the act also sealed the fate of the world’s magic and magic users. <details>

Fourth Era -

There are two other Eras previous to the aforementioned four. They are the ‘Dawn Era’ in which the universe and everything in it came into being, and the ‘Merethic Era’, otherwise known as the Mythic Era, in which Mer (Elves) first arrived in Tamriel and all manner of mythological occurrences are said to have taken place. These two Eras are commonly considered to be outside of verifiable history, as humanity did not possess a written language to speak of until the end of the Mythic Era. Aldmeri records, on the other hand, date back to the beginning of ME, however these are not open to Imperial scholars.

Provinces of the 4th era

In the 500 years after the closure of the Oblivion Gates, the empire had lost much of it’s territory. By 4E22, The Summerset Isles belonged to the Thalmor faction. By 4E115, the 2nd Aldmeri Dominion had been formed, comprising the Summerset Isles (now renamed “Alinor”) and Valenwood, which had been seized by Thalmor sympathizers during a coup. Around 4E5-6, Red Mountain errupted in Vvardenfell, destroying the island and much of northern Morrowind. With Morrowind severely weakened, the Argonians (who had seceded from the Empire) invaded, conquering the Dunmer. Also, due to the great war, and the White-Gold Concordat that followed, Hammerfell now belongs to neither the Empire or the Dominion. Depending on the resolution of the Skyrim Civil War, Skyrim may remain in the Empire, or become an independent nation.

Below are a list of all Provinces and their affiliation:

The Empire (Capital: Cyrodiil)

Cyrodiil (Capital: Imperial City)

High Rock (Capital: Daggerfall)

Skyrim* (Capital: Solitude)

The Aldmeri Dominion (Capital: Summerset Isles)

Summerset Isles / Alinor (Capital: Alinor)

Valenwood (Capital: Falinesti)

Elsweyr.

Argonia (Capital: Lilmoth)

Black Marsh (Capital: Lilmoth)

Morrowind (Capital: Mournhold)

Independant Provinces

Hammerfell (Capital: Sentinel)

Skyrim* (Capital: Windhelm)

- Pending resolution of civil war

Geography

Tamriel consists of nine provinces, each of these provinces corresponds with their own culture and race, with the exception of High Rock, which houses two distinct species:

High Rock, inhabited by Bretons, man/elf hybrids on the human side; also Orcs or Orsimer, aldmeris for ‘Pariah Folk’: Elves so ruined and corrupted that they are often mistaken as akin to goblins and/or trolls. Orsimer live in the city of Orsinium.

Hammerfell, inhabited by the Redguard (native to Yokuda), enterprising expansionists from the west. Though they are men, they do not share the same blood as the other human races. Hammerfell once housed a significant Dwemer population. It was later Orcish territory until the landing of the Yokudan in their Ra’gada, or “Warrior Wave.” It is from this wave that the Redguards take their name, and their swift, easy conquest of Hammerfell that earned them their reputation as the best soldiers upon Nirn.

Skyrim, inhabited by Nords, and the Falmer, men and mer of the north. Nords being the only remaining direct and unchanged descendants of the original human ‘Nedic’ settlers from across the now frozen Sea of Ghosts.

Morrowind, inhabited by Dunmer, or Dark Elves, meaning ‘accursed folk’ in Aldmeris (Due to Azura’s curse after the events at the Battle of Red Mountain). This region once also housed a large Dwemer population. All that remains are their ruins.

Black Marsh, inhabited by Argonians, highly evolved lizard people, who are commonly looked down upon as beastfolk. For this reason, the Argonians were formerly a popular slave race.

Elsweyr, inhabited by the Khajiit, cat folk, also commonly looked down upon as savage. The Khajiit were also common slaves.

Valenwood, inhabited by Wood Elves, or Bosmer in the Elven, meaning ‘tree-sap folk’, they are the Elven products of blood mixing with men, like the Bretons. The Bretons are a similar race of hybrids leaning more towards the Man stock-the Bosmer lean more towards the Mer.

Cyrodiil, the Imperial province, inhabited by the Imperials, or Cyrodiils, a common human race who form the foundational population of the Empire, although the ruling Septim dynasty are thought to be of at least some Nordic blood (which might explain their long history as conquerors and warrior-kings). The Line of Septim is also known to have some Dunmeri ancestry.

Demographics

The main races are the Bretons, Redguards , Argonians, Khajiit, Altmer (High Elves), Orsimer (Orcs), Imperials, Dunmer (Dark Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), and Nords. Many of hese are demonstrated within the playable racial packages in this journal.

The Falmer (Snow Elves), the original elven inhabitants of Skyrim. Lead by their leader The Snow Prince, fought in The Battle of Moesring against Ysgramor and 500 companions. Sadly, during the war, 12-year old Nord girl Finna witnessed her father slaughtered by The Snow Prince. This made the girl thirsty for revenge, she then picked up her father’s sword and struck the prince down. This ended the war between the Falmer and the Nords in Skyrim. The remaining Falmer sought out shelter with the Dwemer. However, the Dwemer did not trust their Snow Elf guests for long, and forced them to eat a toxic fungi rendering them blind…and making them their slaves. This angered the Falmer and made them rebel against The Dwemer which started The War of Crag possibly being responsible for the disappearence of the Dwemer.

The Dwemer (meaning ‘deep folk’ often misinterpreted as referring to their subterranean habits, should be better understood as ‘wise/smart folk’), commonly nicknamed ‘Dwarves’ due to a dubious myth involving their befriending a race of giants, though not actually short in stature. They used to inhabit all of Tamriel, but were concentrated in Morrowind and Hammerfell. They all disappeared simultaneously during the concluding battle of the war of the First Council, the Battle of Red Mountain, when Lord Nerevar led the Chimer* in an attack against the Dwarves to keep them from using Kagrenac’s Tools. The Dwemer were trying to use the tools to create a God (called ‘Numidium’) for themselves. The Chimer saw this as an affront to their gods, for whom they faced ridicule and ostracism; thusly the war. It is believed that Kagrenac attempted to use the tools in desperate gamble, causing the Dwemer to be removed from all of existence, however Ashlander tradition maintains that, Nerevar and Dagoth Ur severed the Dwemer connection to the Heart of Lorkhan at the end of the War of the First Council, and all the Dwemer vanished.

Additional information on Dwemer

The Dwemer (/dwɛ.mɚ/ dwem-mer, /dweɪ.mɚ/ dway-mer or /dwiː.mɚ/ dwee-mer), the “people of the deep”, are a fabled “Lost Race” of Mer from Dwemereth, which mostly consisted of modern-day Morrowind, where they are believed to have been the most prolific, though they also had a strong presence in Hammerfell, High Rock, and Skyrim. Meric races use the term “Dwemer”, which translates to “Deep-Elves” or “Deep Folk”. Men commonly refer to them as Dwarves. The early history of the Dwemer is still clouded in mystery. There is no known story of their dissociation from the Aldmer, which must have occurred very early in Tamrielic history, as their society bore few correlations with that of the Altmer besides some similar legal principles. The Dwemer built elaborate underground cities near and beneath mountain ranges, including the Velothi Mountains and Red Mountain, and in the mountains of the isle Stros M’Kai. Many misconceptions about them have abounded for centuries: scholars long thought that most Dwemer ruins which dotted Tamriel outside Morrowind were mere outposts and that there were few significant Dwemer settlements elsewhere until 1E 420. The presentation of the Dwemer in fictitious but popular novels like the Ancient Tales of the Dwemer has also lodged an inaccurate impression of them in the popular consciousness, painting them as familiar, comfortable characters very similar to humans. In reality, they are better described as having been fearsome, unfathomable, and even cruel, though also careful, intelligent, and industrious. Their society consisted of free-thinking yet reclusive clans devoted to the secrets of science, engineering, and the arcane until they mysteriously disappeared around 1E 700.

The Chimer, meaning ‘changed folk’ in Aldmeris, were a small cult of High Elves who were led by the prophet Veloth to the promised land of Resdayn, now called Morrowind. They were cursed by the Daedric prince Azura after the Tribunal used the the Heart of Lorkhan to become living gods. The curse when they ceased worship and turned to worshiping three god-kings known as the Tribunal. The curse turned gold coloured skin to black in hue and turned their eyes to glowing red, transforming the Chimer into Dunmer. The curse also contained a promise that some day, Nerevar Indoril would return and signal the downfall of the profane Tribunal Temple. However, this is contested by Imperial scholars, who instead suggest that this is just a myth – and the real cause of the skin and eye color change was because of their change in geography.

The Ayleid, an Elven race who were the original rulers of Cyrodiil and are now apparently extinct. Their ruins can be found scattered across Cyrodiil, and are a lucrative venture for any skilled and brave enough to venture into one and return with treasures. Lesser Welkynd Stones and Varla Stones, which can be found in most such ruins, are 50 and 1000 gold a piece, respectively. There were once also Greater Welkynd Stones, but these have all been plundered and consumed. However, Ayleid sites are littered with ingenious and deadly traps, and have often become the hiding place of gangs of Necromancers, Conjurers, bandits, or other outlaws, or of tribes of goblins, or even, on occasion, vampire clans.

The Giants, a race of gargantuan humanoids, are found in the wilderness of Skyrim and High Rock. Infamous for their colossal height and immense strength, Giants share little civil interaction with humans. Culturally, Giants herd Mammoths, processing their milk into cheese, complimenting their omnivorous diet with the cooked meat of skeever. Seemingly nomadic, Giants travel with their herds, setting camp across Skyrim and High Rock — mostly above ground. Invaders are attacked with the massive clubs forged by the Giants.

The Orsimer, commonly known as Orcs, are a barbarian people from the mountainous regions of western Tamriel. They are centrally located in Orsinium, The City of Orcs, but are common in other great cities throughout Tamriel. Including such as the walking city of Bosmer kings, Falinesti.

Many different gods are worshipped across all Tamrielic cultures, each race having its own pantheon of gods. A complete list of these can be found in the book Varieties of Faith in the Empire. However, most of these pantheons represent the same properties, and can be split into 2 groups:

Aedra – The term Aedra comes from the Aldmer and means ‘ancestors’. This corresponds with the original Aldmeri belief system that the Altmer are the direct descendants of these immortals. The term is used by scholars from other races to describe all gods who are aligned to Anu (stasis). The Aedra are often seen as creators. The most widespread of these Aedra are the 8 gods who created the mortal world. These gods form the core of the Imperial pantheon: together with Tiber Septim they form the Nine Divines.

Daedra – The term Daedra means either ‘stronger, better ancestors’ or ‘not our ancestors’, the first being used by the Chimer to emphasise their separation from other Aldmer. Other races adapted the term to a broader use which includes all gods aligned to Padhome(change), although most humans refer to them as daemons. The Daedra consist of 16 princes and a large number of lesser Daedra.

Other continents

Although Tamriel is the most well-known and important place in the world, it isn’t the only one. Far to the north of Tamriel lies Atmora, from which the Nords came to conquer Tamriel. Atmora, in the Elvish language, means ‘Elder Wood’.

To the west of Tamriel lies the sunken continent of Yokuda, from which the people that are now called the Redguards came to take over Hammerfell.

To the east of Tamriel lies the continent of Akavir, which means ‘Dragon Land’. Akavir is home to four major groups: Kamal, Tsaesci, Tang Mo, and Ka Po’ Tun. It was once home to the Akaviri, a race of Man and, most notably, the Dragons, but the Tsaesci drove the Dragons and Men to extinction – it is unknown what happened to the Akaviri. Akavir has launched multiple invasions on Tamriel in the past. Although a line of Tsaesci did rule Tamriel for some time, it was replaced by the Septim Dynasty of rulers; all other invasions have failed.

Below Summerset Isle, just to the south of Tamriel, lies Pyandonea, the tropical home of the Maormer or Tropical Elves. Even farther south supposedly lies the lost Elven homeland of Aldmeris, or Ehlnofey, which was devastated in ancient times (hence the early migration of Elves to other continents, namely Tamriel).

The Coral Kingdoms of Thras, an archipelago southwest of Tamriel, is the homeland of the sload, a conservative amphibious sluglike race. The Thrassian Plague devastated Tamriel around 1E2200, after which a united Tamrielic navy ravaged and sank Thras into the sea. It has since recovered.

Like all magic, the character must take Skill: ‘Able to cast Restoration Magic’ and then base the skill roll off INT. The higher the skill roll, the better/more efficient the healer.

Healing, like all magic, is powered by END.

Healing takes place after combat (out of combat). Then the party can get underway to the next battle.

Potions, herbs, salves will present as a viable alternative to Healing.

Most healing potions can be used during combat (see Potions section for details).

Regeneration:

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Resurrection:

Resurrection will be nigh impossible in this game unless you want your character to become a Lich, Vampire, Zombie, or other things that typically die and come back. Like any fantasy world or works of fiction, there are times when characters are resurrected. This is not that time.

Death

A character at or below 0 BODY is dying. He loses 1 BODY each Turn (at the end of Segment 12). This is usually referred to as “bleeding to death,” though it doesn’t necessarily involve loss of blood. Death occurs when, either due to attacks or “bleeding to death,” the character has lost twice his original BODY (i.e., when he reaches a negative BODY score equal to his starting positive BODY).

Example: If a character who normally has 10 BODY reaches -10 BODY, he dies. A character with a lower BODY, say 8, would only have to reach -8 BODY to die. If a character who normally has 10 BODY started the game with 6 BODY due to a previous injury, he still won’t die until he reaches -10 BODY.

This unpleasant fate is not inevitable. Another character can stabilize a character at 0 or negative BODY with a successful Paramedics roll (at -1 for every negative 2 BODY). This doesn’t give the wounded character back any BODY, it just stabilizes his condition so he doesn’t lose any more BODY. The GM should modify this number for circumstances. With good medical care, good food, rest, and warm and dry conditions, the character’s chances are greatly improved (+1 to +3). Poor conditions, such as dirt, additional shocks, and extreme cold, would impose a -1 to -3 penalty. See also Recovering BODY, page 424.

It is one thing to have talk in character about character X taking care of target 3. That is perfectly acceptable. What is not acceptable is one player telling another player that they should focus on a certain target and give recommendations or instructions on how the action/attack should be taken OOCly. Further, when a declaration of an action/attack/move is made, then that cannot be retconned.

Example 2: It is Player 1’s turn. Player 1 has decided to attack the third monster on the left. However, Player 2 wants that monster for themselves and when Player 1 tells the GM that they are going to attack the third monster on the left, Player 2 interrupts saying that Player 1 should do something else.

Example 2: Player 1 has attack options of Sword/Shield, Bow/Arrow, and Magic Missile Spell. Player 1 decides that he is going to attack the monster by shooting an arrow. Player 1 tells GM that they want to do this and Player 2 interrupts saying that Player 1 should attack the monster with the Magic Missile Spell.

It is fine to talk tactics prior to the battle, and even offer BRIEF suggestions during the combat (IE: Shoot it in the eye!). It is not fine to go into long, interruptive, game delaying, soliloquies stating how someone else should be playing their character.

Battles in the HERO system last long enough as it is. We do not need additional metagaming and kibbitizing to slow it down.

If this becomes a problem, then a players time will be limited. Therefore, players must know what their characters will do when it comes their turn.

There are NO bags of holding.

Encumbrance plays an important role in many Fantasy games. Fantasy characters need to carry a lot of equipment — armor, weapons, food, adventuring gear — and they often acquire lots of heavy treasure (such as chests of gold pieces).

For purposes of calculating Encumbrance, you should count not just worn/carried items, but items held in the hand as well.

The bad news – there are NO bags of holding.

The neutral news – you will not be obtaining the massive lootage like in past high fantasy games. Therefore you won’t have to carry as much.

The good news – since 99% of each loot opportunity will NOT have magic items, then that means the PC skills and attributes are going to count for more. This is a low magic, epic fantasy game where the PCs are the focus, not the most powerful magic item.

Characters must pay the END cost for Encumbrance in their first Phase of each Turn.

The table on page 153 of Fantasy Hero details Encumbrance, Endurance, Movement and DEX/DCV penalties. It is recommended that no one carry over 49% of their total capacity.

Carts, mules and other pack animals are allowed. Consider though, only the Hobbits seemed to carry the large loads. Perhaps they were the pack animals.

Due to the recent addition of ‘no need to sleep’ with Joe’s magic food cakes, the question of Long Term Endurance and walking all night has come into question. The normal human sleeps 8 hours to recover from the day’s activities. The magic food takes away the need to sleep, but it does not grant an END battery or END recovery. Therefore, to prevent long term endurance from ecruing during the daily activity, the character must rest during 1/3rd of the day. This means the character must find a place to sit or lay down and do nothing else during that time.

Some races have qualities that outshine other races. Therefore, when consulting Racial Package Deals, look at the characteristic bonuses, add those bonuses to the characteristic maxima (20) and there you have the new characteristic max for that race.

Aborting an Action: You can abort an action (to perform a block/dodge/dive for cover/activate a defensive weave/etc.) as long as you have not performed an action that phase. It uses up your next FULLPHASE of actions.

Actions: A PC may use/activate one Zero (0) Phase Action in the beginning or middle of a Phase. If a PC sacrifices ½ of a Phase they activate as many Zero (0) Phase Actions as they wish. If an attack is made, it is always the last thing a PC may do in a Phase. You may take a ½ move and then attack, but not the other way around.

Area Effect: When an area effect attack roll is missed, the hex that gets hit is 1" off for every 1 point the roll was missed by, randomly role the direction. Up to a maximum of ½ the original distance.

Blocking: When Blocking, roll against the Attackers OCV.

Blocking With a Shield: If using a shield to block, you get the DCV bonus of the shield as an OCV bonus when performing the block. This is incredibly effective if a PC has purchased Martial Block for use with their shield.

Combat: Combat always begins on Segment 12, so everyone can take their Segment 12 action. Everyone also gets a chance to take a REC on Post Segment 12.

Coordinated Attacks: PC’s may use the coordinated attacks rule with other PC’s that have “similar” attacks. i.e. Two PC’s using ranged attacks may coordinate, just as two PC’s using melee attacks may coordinate. There are bonuses for 2 of the same “type” of PC attempting to coordinate their attacks.

Defenses: A PC gets his Resistant PD/ED against the BODY of a Killing Attack, and he gets BOTH his Resistant and Non-Resistant PD/ED against the STUN of an attack, but for every 1 BODY taken the PC takes a minimum of 1 STUN. If a PC gets hit in a location that has no resistant defenses then they get NO defenses against the attack whatsoever.

Disabling: Any PC taking their FULLBODY worth of damage from one attack after defenses, but before OR after the BODY multiplier will receive a Disabling wound. The standard Disabling charts will be used.

END: Using 5 Active Points in any power/skill/attack/characteristic uses 1 END. The exception to this is when using a weapon. If a weapon has a STR minimum of 15, and you are not adding any strength to increase it’s damage, you would only pay 3 END. You only pay END for the STR you are using (even if the weapon is doing 50 active points worth of damage).

Impairment: We will be using the Impairment rules. Any PC that takes BODY equal to 1/2 their BODY after defenses, but before OR after the BODY multiplier receives an Impairment. The standard Impairment chart will be used

Initiative: If two characters have the same DEX, the character with the highest INT gets to act first in a Phase.

Knockdown: If a PC takes a hit that does the their full BODY (after the Body Multiplier but before Defenses) then the PC gets knocked down and pushed back 1" for every 2 body over their Total. The PC must spend a ½ phase getting back on their feet.

Knocked Out: When a PC’s STUN is dropped below 0 they are Knocked out. They are at 0 DCV, and take X2 STUN from attacks. At the end of the segment any non-persistent powers turn off. Upon waking, a PC’s END is equal to their current STUN total. A PC can recover at a rate one level higher on the Recovery Chart if someone is helping to revive them.

Movement: costs 1 END per 5 inches. (base + weight/encumbrance)

Presence Attacks: For Each 5 points of PRE a PC may roll 1d6 for a Presence Attack. This total is compared to the defender’s PRE or EGO (whichever is higher), and then checked against the presence attack table.

Pushing: With a successful EGO roll a PC may Push his STR by 5 points, with 1 additional point for each point the EGO roll is made by. The PC uses up 1 point of END for each point of STR bestowed by the Push.

Recovery: A character may make a Recovery during any of their action phases, they are at ½ DCV. If they take any damage that segment the Recovery is aborted.

Second Weapon: A PC may use a second weapon as a “shield” of sorts for a DCV bonus of +1 against melee attacks only. They also get a +1 OCV bonus when using this weapon (in addition to their regular weapon) to block. They must have a 1 point Weapon Familiarity with the Second Weapons group.

Stunned: If a PC takes STUN (after defenses) equal to or greater then his CON he is stunned. A stunned PC is at ½ DCV, all powers that are not persistent turn off at end of the segment, and the PC can take no action until their next PHASE. It takes a FULLPHASE to recover, and they cannot take any action except to recover from the stun.

Sweep: PC’s may Sweep if they choose, each intended target after the first ads a cumulative –2 OCV modifier. The PC rolls for each target separately, as soon as one of the targets is missed the Sweep is over.

Weapon Damage: You may increase the damage done by a weapon with STR, Combat Skill Levels, or Martial Maneuvers up to double the DC of the weapon. If using STR to augment the damage of a weapon, you get an extra DC of damage for every 5 STR above the minimum for the weapon. It is slightly different for flails and picks. Flails get a Damage Class bonus for every 6.25 points above the minimum, and picks get a bonus for every 7.5 over the base strength requirement.